New Staff Provide Statewide Assistance Through NDSU Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
Posted: Oct 16, 2019
The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI) at North Dakota State University has recently added three new staff members to assist local transportation leaders across North Dakota.
Jerilyn Swenson is a bridge and pavement engineer who will assist with state and local road and bridge needs studies. She will also serve as a technical resource for local road system managers across the state who are served by the UGPTI's Local Technical Assistance Program based in Bismarck. Swenson was county engineer in Norman County, Minnesota. Previously she was assistant district transportation engineer with the Minnesota Department of Transportation in Baxter and worked with several engineering companies in Minnesota in the areas of transportation engineering and planning. She earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from NDSU and began her career as a researcher with UGPTI's Advanced Traffic Analysis Center.
Amanda Miller joined UGPTI's Bismarck office as administrative secretary with the Local Technical Assistance Program. She will assist with program planning and administration and serve as a first point of contact for local road staff across the state who use the office's services. Miller is originally from Emmons County and earned a B.S. in computer information systems from University of Mary. She most recently worked for NDSU Nursing at Sanford Health in Bismarck, ND, as well as at Bismarck State College.
Joy Anne Annette is UGPTI's new tribal liaison. As tribal liaison, she will work with Native American tribes in North Dakota and across the region to provide access to UGPTI resources and expertise for enhancing transportation. Annette was most recently a family support social worker with White Earth Indian Child Welfare. She earned a B.S. in Education and speech Communications from NDSU and also studied graphic arts at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, MA. She also earned a certificate of continuing education in grant Writing from Fond Du Lac Community College in Cloquet, MN. She previously worked as a licensing worker with the Upper Midwest American Indian Center in Minneapolis, was a high school teacher, and was director of Native American Programs at Concordia College in Moorhead. She serves on the White Earth Tribal and Community College Council of Trustees where she is currently secretary. She is also a founding member of the White Earth Grandmothers Council.
